Underground motor for swing gates – from A to Z

Do you have a difficult decision to make between hydraulic and electromechanical underground motor for your gate? Are you not sure which parameters and characteristics you should take into consideration before the purchase of the gate automatism? This article will answer all your questions.

1. Construction of underground motor for the swing gates.

As a name suggests, the underground motor is a type of automatism installed under the ground in the caisson (galvanized or steel) located under the bottom edge of a wing. The caisson is connected to the wing with a fastening element which also serves as a hinge.

2. The usage of the underground motor.

UThe underground automatism is an excellent choice to preserve the aesthetic of your gate. What’s more, it is perfect solution in a situation when the installation of standard motor isn’t possible (tubular motor or articulated arm motor). It can be caused by a lot of reasons:

construction of a gate

lack of place for standard gate automatism

obstacles – wall, fence, massif pillar

other cases in which it is recommended to install the underground motor

3. Which motor should you choose? Type, utilisation, parameters and examples.

In order to choose the appropriate gate automatism you should contact a specialist who help you with choosing an ideal solution regarding parameters of a gate, surroundings, type of usage and your expectations.

The parameters

To choose an underground motor, it is necessary to take into consideration:

type, construction and material of which the gate is constructed. It is necessary to remember that the inside edge of a gate, to which one of the arm of underground automatism is attached, is under the big tension. It has to be resistant and metal. The underground motor is perfect to wrought- iron gate.;

surroundings of the gate, that is: terrain and the atmospheric conditions;

weight of a wing;

length of a wing;

frequency of usage;

mean motor rating;

minimal and maximal temperature of the cylinder functioning and its thermal protection;

others parameters which depend on the type of motor – pump flow, pressure, type and amount of oil use (piston work, the linear speed of the screw).

Having those basic information, you can choose the type of motor.

Types and use of underground motor.

There are 2 types of underground motor:

underground hydraulic motor – intended for large, heavy and often usage of gates;

underground electromechanical motor – intended for small and medium gates, for usage domestic and semi-industrial.

Both 2 types, of course, have recommended subtypes for domestic and moderate usage (version 230V), for more intensive usage in the enterprises or housing estates (version 240 V) and for motors of “particular tasks”, frequent and intensive industrial usage.

Underground motor should be chosen regarding the function of usage

List of gate motor producers and examples of their underground automatisms according to the mode of work.

Client needs and expectations

Apart from motors, client has a wide range of accessories and services to choose such as: motors for roller shutters, intercoms, alarms or home automation. Your automation can be completed with the accessories such as the battery supply system( necessary in case of lack of the electricity), solar system, GSM module, code locks, card readers and others.

4. Installation

The scope of work and the costs of an installation of underground motor are different for new and already installed gates.

The motor installation for the existing gates – the modifications of a gate are not inevitable that’s why the costs of gate automatism installation increase.

The installation of new gate with automatism – – this is cheaper, easier and faster option because the big modifications are not necessary. The client, who decides to built a fence and new automated gate, has also more possibilities. A producer or a seller helps you to choose the appropriate motor for the chosen gate or inversely, the appropriate gate for the particular motor regarding the terrain and the client’s individual preferences.

Stages of the installation

Stage 1. The dimension and the selection of the motor

At this stage a customer and a seller cooperate – a client, who buys by a seller, counts on a complex service.

The instruction of installation and a technical documentation provided by a manufacturer are useful during the choosing of a good motor and gate. They instruct how to adjust a dimension of a gate to others elements:

the distance of a bottom edge of the gate to the ground (to assess the installation depth of a caisson) [1]

the distance between the edge of the post and the axis of the hinge [2]

Stage 2. Preparation and modifications

During this stage, it is necessary to dig an excavation. Especially, do not forget to do a drainage! Without appropriate drainage, automation can be flooded and when the temperature falls, the water can freeze and damage the motor mechanism.

The picture below presents the well-done drainage:

When you install the automatism to the already existing gate, it is necessary to carry out the additional work(raising the gate, lowering the terrain).

Stage 3. The installation

We put the caisson with a motor into the adjusted excavation. The stage final includes the removal of the gate’s lower hinge – its function will be taken by the motor. The installation of underground automatism is quick and relatively easy.

Summery

The choice of the gate automatism isn’t easy. You will have a lot of doubts, dilemmas and questions. Only thoughtful and well-planned choice can guaranty the satisfaction. The competent sellers help you to choose an automatism for your gate which will serve you long time.
It is recommended to buy the automatisms exclusively by well-known producers. A gate motorisation is an investment which you will use for years so it is profitable to choose high quality product.